Trees felled by emerald ash borer beetles have found new life as a sailboat for Montreal youth.

In a joint initiative between the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough and the Jeunes Marins Urbains, an organization that promotes social inclusion through naval-based projects, wood from infected trees is being used to build a 7.6-metresailing-rowing boat to be used on the St. Lawrence River.

“They are going to use (the boat) to teach other teenagers how to sail in the water of the St. Lawrence, so it is a demonstration of how we can recycle, reuse and redevelop things in a constructive way,” N.D.G. Councillor Lionel Perez said.

For Yves Plante, an organizer with Jeunes Marins Urbains, it brings the community together. He was thrilled when the borough offered free wood from infected ash trees, which was then treated and developed into boards by Goodfellow Inc., a Quebec-based wood product distributor.

“This is exactly what we are looking for,” said Plante. “It’s bad because these trees are dying everywhere, but it is a way to change misfortune into good fortune.”

The wood alone to build the boat would have cost the non-profit organization close to $4,000. The donation gives teenagers the chance to build a boat and explore the waterway for themselves.

“We see it as a tool to bring together people around the river,” Plante said.

In addition to helping young people, the joint initiative aims to give an afterlife to the ash tree in the city.

“It’s special because it’s the end of an era for the ash in Montreal,” said Patrick Goodfellow, president of Goodfellow Inc. “If we are going to remember it, then we have to create something with the material so it’s not just forgotten forever.”

The emerald ash borer has been a long-standing problem for boroughs across Montreal. The city announced in February that it would spend $12.9 million this year to fight the infestation, and start planting 300,000 trees to replace lost ones.

This project is part of the borough’s program to repurpose the wood from affected ash trees. Perez said they have also used the wood to make park benches and suggestion boxes.

The wood itself is not infected once it is stripped of its bark. It can still be used, for example, to make wood chips and boards.

“It is a bit irritating because people think it’s a bacteria or an insect that lives within the wood, but the wood is healthy, it is good,” said Plante.

A team at the Jeunes Marins Urbains are aiming to complete the project by Tuesday as part of a three-week challenge to build the entire boat, which is located at the Village au Pied du Courant on Notre-Dame St. at the base of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

Plante hopes that more people will become involved with the group, as the organization plans to provide introductory courses on sailing and rowing.

“First step is that you learn how to build it, the second step is that you learn how to manoeuvre the boat and the third step is that now that you know to build it and navigate it, you will try to teach someone else,” said Plante.

Perez also encourages residents to provide suggestions on how to repurpose the wood from affected ash trees.

“There are definitely different talks about how we can further programs,” said Perez. “We are brainstorming to see what can be done.”

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